1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved method and system for accessing a database and in particular, to an improved method and system for accessing a database utilizing a telephone device. Still more particularly, the present invention provides an improved method and system for accessing a database with a telephone device through an progressive search termination system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, data processing systems connected to a database may provide information to remote locations through a telephone communications network, connecting the data processing system and a telephone device at the remote location. The telephone device located at a remote location typically contains a telephone keypad, which has individually depressible alpha-numeric keys. Each alpha-numeric key represents a single number and a plurality of letters of the alphabet. For example, the number "2" alpha-numeric key also represents the alphabetical letters "A", "B", and "C", and the number "3" alpha-numeric key represents the alphabetical letters "D", "E", and "F". A query may be formulated by manipulating these individually depressible alpha-numeric keys in a selected sequence in order to transmit questions and requests for information from the remotely located database. In response to receiving a query from a user at a telephone device, known data processing systems search the database and provide a response utilizing a synthesized voice that is transmitted to the user via the telephone device. "Synthesized voice" means digital to analogue playback of a pre-recorded human voice. Typically, the content of these responses is restricted to pre-recorded segments, and their composition is likewise typically fixed.
This type of system for retrieving information from a remote database utilizing a telephone device is adequate in those cases where the user enters a query requiring only numerical input. In cases where alphabetical input is utilized, retrieval of information may be more problematic since each dual-tone multifrequency ("DTMF") tone represents multiple alphabetical characters. For example, in a directory type database, a user's input may generate numerous entries which correspond to the sequence of keys entered by the user at the telephone device, since each key represents multiple alphabetical characters. After entering a fixed-length query, these multiple entries are typically presented to the user in some manner, allowing the user to choose an entry. Or, alternatively, the user is forced to continue entering the query until the item of choice is uniquely identified, which requires many keystrokes.
Occasionally after entering a query, the user may desire to change or abandon the query; however, the user must generally give control to the system and e.g.; wait until all the corresponding entries are found by the data processing system and presented via the telephone device. In other cases, the user may wish to determine how many entries matching the query have been found thus far, in order to determine whether or not to continue or to modify the query. When only a few matching entries exist, this is not a problem. In those instances, however, where the entries corresponding to a user's query are numerous, i.e., 10, 20, 30, or 40 entries, presenting these entries before allowing modifications to the user's query becomes very cumbersome and unwieldy.
Consequently, it would be desirable to have an improved method and system for providing a user access to a database utilizing a telephone device without subjecting the user to an unwanted presentation of large numbers of entries corresponding to the user's fixed-length query, or forcing the user to enter many keystrokes to uniquely identify the desired item.